Puppy Love
by ambiekinz
Summary: Ah, puppy love. Remember your first real crush? Well, Takuya's going through it right now during his freshman year of high school. Will he win Zoe over with his "charm"? Takumi.
1. The First Day of School

**A/N: **Hey guys, so this is my new story that I'll probably be working on for summer. For the record, Zoe and Takuya never met before. Takuya and Kouji were neighborhood friends and Kouji went to the same middle school as Takuya. Kouji didn't go to the same one as Kouichi because...He didn't feel like it. Got it? Okay :)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Digimon characters.

* * *

><p>"Zoe, why aren't you awake yet!" Her mother cried, bursting into her daughter's room. To her dismay, Zoe was still in bed when she was supposed to be up 15 minutes ago.<p>

Zoe hid herself under the covers, mumbling "Mfft, five more minutes, mom"

Mrs. Orimoto rolled her eyes "Teenagers…" She walked to the window and pulled the curtains apart, letting the sun burst in to Zoe's room.

The sun's brightness protruded Zoe's blanket, causing her to groan "Fiiine! I'm up, I'm up!" Triumphantly, Mrs. Orimoto grinned and left her daughter to get ready for school.

"It's your first day of high school sweetie, get ready!" her mom sang as she walked down the hall

Zoe rolled out of bed, rubbing her eyes "Please, don't remind me"

~.~.~

Zoe gaped at the sight of Shibuya High School. Sure, she was here for orientation and seen the school before. But the size seemed one hundred times bigger since she actually had to _attend _it now.

She walked up the large steps, and entered the building. Before she knew it, she was engulfed in a large crowd of people. Everyone was pushing and shoving, greeting old friends and talking about their summer vacation. There was barely any walking space, and the only way to get through was by brute force.

The blonde just walked around where she could and went wherever someone shoved her to. Eventually, she ended up in a hallway that had much less people. Dusting herself off, she continued down the hall to look for her first class.

"Zoe! Zoeee!" a familiar voice called

Zoe whipped her head around, seeing one of her closest friends Jeri Katou, run and tackle her for a hug. Followed by Takato, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly "Sorry Zoe, Jeri was really excited to see you" he grinned

Zoe smiled back "No harm done, it's not like I'm not used to this" she laughed

Jeri squeezed the poor girl like there was no tomorrow, practically crushing Zoe's limbs

"Can't...Breathe..."

Zoe leaned over, gasping for air when Jeri let her go. "Oh gosh...So Jeri, how was your summer?"

"Oh it was amazing! I volunteered at a summer day camp, and Takato was there too!" she beamed, turning to Takato who barely said a word yet

"Takato, did you have fun with Jeri?" Zoe teased, causing the brunette to blush furiously

"I h-have no i-idea what you're t-talking about, Zoe" he stammered

Jeri tilted her head to the side, acting oblivious to the situation "Huh? Oh hey, Zoe I almost forgot! What lunch do you have?"

"I think I have 2nd, what about you?"

Jeri jumped up and down excitedly "Yay! Me too, well I gotta go Zoe. I have no idea where my classes are" she admitted shyly

Zoe waved her hand dismissively "No worries, I bet half of the freshman here feel the same way. See you later!"

Jeri waved at Zoe, and quickly paced down the hall to find her next class. "Where's Room 304?" she wondered, glancing at the room numbers as she walked

_101, 408, 223, 990, 306_

"Wait-What the heck?"

Behind her, Takato was sprinting down trying to catch up with her after saying farewell to Zoe. "Jeri, wait uppp!"

~.~.~

The day progressed on, and Zoe was as bored as ever. All the teachers did was talk about class rules and expectations.

_Be prepared during class, don't be late…Blah, blah, blah. I heard this lecture a million times. _She grumbled in her mind, while leaning her cheek on her hand. _Why is school so boring!_

Luckily, she found all her classes with ease. And slowly became used to her surroundings more and more.

_Well at least I have one less thing to worry about. _

~.~.~

Zoe walked quickly to her next class, placing a hand over her all ready grumbling stomach.

_Just one more class and then…FOOD! _She cheered

It was History with Ms. W. Once Zoe walked in there was an assigned seating chart with everyone name's on it. She glanced at the sheet, and went straight to her desk while other students were just walking around and chatting with others.

The desks were paired up in two's, just to Zoe's luck. She was hoping she would sit by herself in separate desks like in all her other classes. But, it couldn't be too bad. Right?

She took out her things and sat there. Zoe was quite early, so she dazed out and overheard the conversations around here.

"Look at how tan I got this summer!"

"Dude, you should see the new video game I got. Death Smashers 4! WIN!"

"Ugh. Why do I have to sit with her?"

"Put the lime in the coconut, and shake it all up!"

etc.

The bell took absolutely forever to ring, so she turned to see if someone was sitting next to her yet. To her dismay, a boy was already sitting there.

_Darn…I wanted to use that seat as a foot rest. T.T_

She didn't get a clear view of his face, since he was turned the other way and leaned his cheek on his hand. But from what she saw, he was a tanned brunette that seemed like the jock type.

The bell rang and Ms. W started giving the same old lecture all of Zoe's previous teachers gave her. She gradually zoned out and started staring at the boy next to her. He still wasn't facing her, and she became confused why.

_Is it my fault? Is there something on my face? _

_Is my hair a mess? _

_Oh no… _she gasped _...Do I SMELL?_

She wiped her mouth, smoothed down her hair, and did a quick sniff on her clothes. Nothing seemed to be a problem. But the fact he was scooted all the way at the other side of his chair and not even facing her, made her worried…and then annoyed

_What a jerk. I smell totally fine. _

Zoe was relieved when class ended, hurrying out the door for lunch. That boy never once looked at her, and at this point she could care less. If only she saw the young brunette was staring directly at her as she exited the classroom.

~.~.~

Zoe walked into the cafeteria and it was already _packed_. She scanned the room for any sight of Jeri, and was relieved when she saw Jeri screaming her name a few tables down.

"ZOE! ZOEEE! SIT HEEERE!" She yelled

"You can stop screaming now, I'm right next to you..." Zoe laughed, placing her lunch on the table as she sat down.

Zoe looked around the table and saw all of her friends. Jeri, Takato, Kouichi, J.P, Rika, and Ryo. It was just like middle school. Zoe liked that very much.

"Ugh, why is this school so huge? I barely saw any of you guys today" J.P complained, while munching on some chips.

Rika smirked "I was glad I didn't see any of you guys today"

Takato rolled his eyes "Thanks so much, Rika"

"You're welcome."

"Hey Kouichi, where's you're twin?" Jeri chimed, shifting her gaze all around the cafeteria. "We never got to meet him!"

Kouichi pointed at the table right in front of them "Right there, acting like I don't exist. As usual."

Jeri looked at all the boys at the table next to them. It was the popular-slash-jock guy table, of course. All the guys were joking around and laughing their head's off. Her gaze averted to a certain guy at that table "Hey Zoe, do you know that boy?" she whispered, gesturing her head over there.

Zoe looked ahead to the table, and saw the brunette from her History class staring right at her. She stared right back at him and had to admit, the boy was pretty darn cute. Shaggy brown hair and intense hazel eyes. She stared for a few seconds, unable to take her eyes off him.

"Oh Zoe, looks like you have a secret lover" Jeri teased

The blonde broke her gaze and turned bright pink, avoiding the brunette's hazel eyes.

"Looks like someones in l-o-v-e..."

Zoe rolled her eyes and continued eating. She went right back into her conversation with her friends, but could feel that boy's stare. Stare, stare, stare. He was still staring at her, she even turned around to see if there was someone else behind her. But the table was facing a wall.

_Maybe he's interested in the wall? _

_Don't be stupid Zoe, what boy stares at walls?_

Zoe's cheeks turned bright pink again, and all of a sudden became self-conscious of every move she made.

Jeri saw how fidgety and uncomfortable Zoe was, which in her mind was a sign that Zoe liked this boy. And since Jeri was Zoe's close friend, she just had to play match maker. "Zoe, come with me for a sec" Jeri smiled, standing up from the table.

Rika turned towards us, eyeing Jeri "Where are you two going?"

"Bathroom!" Jeri grinned, dragging Zoe away.

"I really don't understand why girls need to go to the bathroom together" Takato shrugged

Ryo shrugged too "I guess it's a girl thing" he then went back to goo-goo eyeing his future girlfriend, Rika.

She narrowed her eyes at him "I need a restraining order from you, Ryo"

"Love you too, pumpkin."

~.~.~

Once in the bathroom, Zoe removed her hand from Jeri's grasp "What is it?"

Jeri looked around to make sure nobody else was in the stalls "Oh Zoe, it's so adorable! Too people from completely different cliques in love! It's kind of like Romeo & Juliet, eh? Except we don't want to kill them!" She gushed, her head in the clouds.

Zoe eyed the brunette like she was crazy, until she realized what she was talking about "Are you kidding me? I don't even like him. He's probably staring...at the wall."

"Ohh Zoe, you are too cute" Jeri teased, pinching Zoe's cheeks "He likes you, you'll see. I can tell when a boy likes a girl"

"Really? Than what about Takato?" the blonde smirked

Jeri blushed furiously "W-What about him?"

Zoe gently laughed, grabbing her friend and exiting the bathroom  
>~.~.~<p>

After school Kouji was walking home with the brunette boy. Their close friendship caused by the fact they lived right next to eachother.

Kouji smirked at the boy "So Takuya…You and that blonde girl, huh?"

Takuya gave him an incredulous look "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Kanbara. During History you were turned away from her the entire time, and I saw you're face. As pink as my brother's underwear from April Fool's Day" he sneered

Takuya averted Kouji's gaze, kicking a pebble on the sidewalk "Well did you see her? She's so cute..." he trailed off, picturing the girl's soft blonde hair and sparkling emerald eyes. "Besides...I look like an idiot compared to her"

"You always look like an idiot compared to anyone" Kouji scoffed

"Not helping." The brunette grumbled

"Well do you ever plan on talking to her? I mean, avoiding her won't win her over" he said, rolling his eyes

Takuya lowered his head "I…on't…ay…" he mumbled, his cheeks growing pink

"What was that?"

"I said I don't know what to say!" he yelled in defeat. Kouji laughed "Oh man, you must have it bad for her. Why don't you just make her laugh or something? Girls like to laugh…right?" he pondered

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I guess I might try that" Takuya smiled, scratching his messy chestnut-brown hair

_I'll win her over with my amazing witty charm...I'm witty, right? _

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I hope you all liked this first chapter. I'll probably have the next one up in a few days or so, seeing how it works out. Anywho, hope you guys comment and all that good jazz. See ya!


	2. Orimoto

**A/N:** Well here's the next chapter to _Puppy Love _^~^ I hope you guys enjoy it and let's see what Takuya screws up this time.

Takuya: Whaa-? Excuse me?

You don't belong in my author notes. Get out. -_-

Takuya: -sad face-

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 2<span>**

_"Orimoto"_

The rest of the day Takuya paced in his room, wondering how to win this girl over. Of course, he didn't have much room to pace in considering the mounds of clothes and junk piling the floor. His mother always wanted him to clean his room ever since he was four years old. Ten years later, it still hasn't happened.

The gogglehead couldn't get the image of that girl out of his head, even though the amount of time he actually saw her in History was very limited.

_-Flashback-_

_Takuya dragged himself into History class, already tired and ready to go home. He just came from Gym, where the teacher pretty much tortured the sweat out of students. Not to mention the fact that the teacher let them out the moment the bell rang, rushing the poor boy to change and run out the door simultaneously. His hair was a definite mess, and he wasn't really sure if his shirt was on the right way..._

_Nevertheless, he still made it to History. Studying the seating chart, he noticed he sat in the far back corner of the room. Turning there, he immediately became awe-struck at the beauty sitting at his table._

_Takuya gawked at the girl for what seemed like hours, but were only seconds. He studied her long blonde hair, her sparkling emerald eyes. He was snapped back to reality when Kouji punched him in the arm_

_"Earth to moron, snap out of it" Kouji smirked, waving his hand in front of Takuya's face_

_The brunette blushed and realized a horrid truth. He had to sit next to that girl. Next to the prettiest girl he's ever seen...And there he was. Messy hair, shirt most likely backwards, and now his face was red. _

_He slowly made his way to the seat next to the girl's. She appeared to not notice him, much to Takuya's relief. He hoped deep down that maybe it'll stay that way for the rest of the class period. _

_But the bell rang, causing the girl to snap back to reality and slowly turn towards his direction. _

CRAP.

_Takuya's face became flushed with red, and he quickly turned to the other side, opposite of the blonde's. Trying to make it appear casual, he layed his cheek on his hand like he was bored. He felt the girl gaze right at him. But he managed to keep his position that way for the entire period._

_-End Flashback- _

"Boy, I hope she didn't notice it" he mumbled to himself, while plopping onto his bed. His mind wandered, thinking of that girl. But he snapped back when he realized what he had to do to win that girl. As Kouji advised, he had to make her laugh.

"How am I gonna do _that_? I can't even make eye contact with her!" he groaned, pulling a pillow above his head. "Ugh...This takes waytoo much thinking!"

Seconds later, Shinya burst into Takuya's room "Why'd you steal my pants?" he accused, glaring at his older brother. Takuya pulled the pillow away from his eyes to see his brother standing in the middle of his room, with only his boxers on.

"Why would I steal your pants? If you couldn't tell, I'm kind of bigger than you." Takuya stated, his voice muffled up by the pillow.

"I don't care if you're booger than me, I want my pants back!" he screamed as he stomped his foot firmly into the floor

The brunette shoved the pillow out of his face "I said I'm bigger than you. Not booger than you, you little booger"

"Huh" Shinya said, scratching his head "Then where are my pants? I have a date in ten minutes...And I need pants!" he wailed

Takuya sat up on his bed, gawking at his brother "You have a date?" Shinya simply nodded his head "How did you get one?"

"Well..." Shinya bragged "I worked some of my Kanbara charm and she fell head over heels for me" he grinned

"Kanbara charm?" Takuya repeated

"Yup. I got to know her, even gave her a nickname. Now she's all over me" Shinya stated proudly

"A nickname, huh?" Takuya grinned, taking a mental note

"Yeah, a nickname. What are you, deaf?"

~.~.~

The next day Takuya was more than excited to try out his new plan. He strolled into History class, brimming with new found confidence.

He didn't want to seem desperate to talk with her, so he stayed silent during class until the teacher instructed the class to talk.

"Alright students, if you haven't noticed I partnered you all up with someone who came from a different middle school than you. I want you to spend a few minutes to get to know your partner. Tell them your name, interests, and anything about yourself you feel comfortable sharing" Ms. W explained, "You have a couple minutes, have fun!" she grinned, going to her desk. She loved activities like these, it kept the kids busy and gave her more free time.

So far, things were going surprisingly well for his plan. He turned to the girl and smiled "Hi, I'm Takuya"

The girl smiled shyly "I'm Zoe, nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too" Takuya grinned. Now he had to tell her something interesting about him. "Uh, I have a pet dog. He's a golden retriever"

Zoe giggled "I love dogs, I think they're really cute" she smiled, tucking some blonde hair behind her ear. Takuya smiled back at her, he just made her giggle. He didn't even say anything funny yet, but he still made her giggle. _SCORE._

Now for the funny part, what could he say? He blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"During Halloween, we dressed him as a hot dog" Random, but it seemed to work. He got a small chuckle from her. And a chuckle is a form of laughter.

The brunette was about to say something else when Ms. W interrupted the class. "Alright kids, now we have to actually start learning" she sighed and started passing out worksheets "This worksheet is an _All About Me_ page. Fill in all the questions and this is due no later than tomorrow."

Zoe and Takuya got their worksheets and started filling out their names. Takuya peered over Zoe's shoulder to see her write her name. _Zoe Orimoto._

"Orimoto, huh? I guess I'll call you Orimoto then" he grinned. It wasn't much of a nickname, but in his soccer team they always called everyone by their last name. So he thought it was probably good enough.

Zoe turned to him with an annoyed look on her face "I don't want to be called Orimoto"

The brunette laughed "What's wrong? It's just your last name. You can call me by my last name" he said playfully. Zoe rolled her eyes, and went back to filling out the handout. He stared at her for a moment, smirking to himself. She looked really cute when she was annoyed.

Correction, she looked _too _cute when she was annoyed. Not to mention, annoying her would definitely grab her attention. Takuya decided to roll with it, and was looking at her paper.

_Question 1: What is your ethnicity? _Italian

"So you're italian, huh?" he whispered, a smile playing on his lips

Zoe looked back and started glaring at Takuya "Yeah I am. Now shush" she whispered back harshly

Takuya couldn't help bugging her though, it was too much fun on his part. "What was that? Should I talk LOUDER?" he teased. Zoe looked around the classroom, it was dead silent. A few kids looked back at them, and the teacher was giving a warning look at the two.

"Oh my goodness, can you shut up?" Zoe whispered furiously, squinting her eyes at him

He couldn't help but smirk at her. He leaned back on his chair, placing his hands behind his head "Whatever you say, Orimoto."

"Do NOT call me Orimoto!"

~.~.~

Zoe slammed her tray down on the lunch table, earning surprised stares from everyone at the table. "So Zoe...Having a good day?" Takato asked apprehensively

"Don't get me started" The blonde grumbled, now rubbing her temples "That Takuya idiot was bugging me all during History. It's like he doesn't know what the term 'shut up' means"

"Ohh Takuya, huh?" Jeri grinned, all of a sudden interested in the conversation "Did you two hit it off?"

Rika sent a warning glare at Jeri "Does it look like they hit it off?"

"...No?"

"Bingo."

"Oh I love that song!" Jeri smiled and clapped her hands "B-I-N-G-O and Bingo was his name-ohh!" she sang

The blonde rolled her eyes "Anyway, he was the complete opposite of what he was like yesterday. I wish he went back to ignoring me" She sighed, sinking down into her seat.

"Speak of the devil, there he is" J.P mumbled in between chews, motioning over to Takuya who just got his lunch. The brunette was heading over to the table in front of Zoe's, where he sat yesterday.

Zoe turned her head to the side "Please don't see me...Please don't see me..." she prayed

"Hey Orimoto!" Takuya yelled, waving at the girl. He was holding back a laugh when he saw her trying to avoid him and sneered at the face she was giving him now.

Kouji, who was sitting next to Takuya, looked at him "You know her?" he smiled

"Oh that's Orimoto, my _best _friend" Takuya grinned

Zoe was gritting her teeth like crazy at this point, doubting why she ever thought he was even remotely cute. She saw Takuya's smirk-like grin, he was torturing her and enjoying every moment of it. Glaring back at him, she made a mental note to herself.

_Next time, sit facing AWAY from Takuya. _

~.~.~

Takuya crumbled up his paper and shot it in the recycling bin. It was about the tenth doodle he made this class period. He had Study Hall for his last class of the day, giving him ample time to do his homework. But he, like many teenagers, could care less about homework. He pulled out another piece of paper and started drawing again.

Davis was sitting next to Takuya and eyed him "What's going on between you and Zoe during lunch?"

"Nothing much, I'm just playing with her is all" Takuya shrugged as if it was no big deal

Davis laughed "_Just _playing? I think someone's crushing on Zoe. And I don't blame you, she is pretty cute" he stated almost too dreamily

"Back off" Takuya warned, sending a death glare to Davis who let out a loud laugh. "Shhh!" The librarian yelled from her office. Takuya sighed and picked up his paper, stuffing it in Davis' mouth. "Yeesh Davis, we're in a library"

"Mrffummmph Uhmmmph"

"What?"

The gogglehead took the paper out of his own mouth "I said...Uhm...I forgot" he smiled, scratching his head. Takuya just sighed at the boy.

Davis was about to throw away the paper when he saw some writing in it "Oh la la, what's this?" he smirked, opening up the doodle. From the corner of his eye he saw Takuya's face redden.

"Zoe Kanbara, Zoe Orimoto Kanbara, Mrs. Zoe Kanbara, Mr. Takuya Kanbara & Mrs. Zoe Kanbara..." Davis read, a large smile spreading on his face. Takuya attempted grabbing the paper from Davis, only to fail. Davis had longer arms and was holding the paper as high as he could.

"So this is what you were doing this entire time? Aww man, wait 'till I show the guys!"

"...Hey is that Kari over there?"

Davis gasped, forgetting all about the paper he started turning his head violently around the library in search of Kari. That moment, Takuya snatched the paper and tore it to shreds. Satisfied, he crossed his arms and chuckled in delight.

"It's payback time Kanbara" Davis smirked, eyeing a certain blonde that was making her way into the Library. He stood up from his chair and walked to the recycling bin, picking up one of Takuya's crumpled doodles. "Oh Zoe!" he called, running to the front of the Library.

Takuya turned around in his chair, wondering what Davis was doing, and saw the boy rushing towards Zoe with one of Takuya's doodles in hand. The brunette just sighed though, and watched everything play out.

"Hey Zoe" Davis grinned "You know Takuya, right?"

"Sadly, yeah"

The boy smirked and unraveled the piece of paper "Well get a load of this" he beamed

The reaction Zoe gave was off of what Davis expected, he saw her glancing at him and back at the page, laughing. "What's so funny?" He asked, turning the papaer his direction.

His blood boiled at the sight of the drawing. It was a crude depiction of him sobbing while Kari was holding hands with T.K. He looked at Zoe who was covering her mouth, attempting to hold in her laughter. And his eyes darted back at Takuya, who was smirking at him from afar.

"TAKUYAA!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I tried to make this chapter a bit longer to compensate for the fact that I won't be updating this next week :( But as hard as I tried, the chapter wasn't as long as I hoped it would be T.T

But anyway, I hope you guys still liked it! I'll be off in _vacation mode _until next Friday or Saturday...Maybe Thursday if I get home early. So yeah, don't expect an update next week but the week after that I'll definitely have a new chapter up ^~^

Takuya: -breaks into author's notes- SUCCESS!

o_O


	3. To the Twins' House We Go!

**A/N:** Sorry I updated late ^^'

Can you blame me? Yes.  
>Can you flame me? Please don't. xD<p>

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 3<span>:**

_"To The Twins' House We Go!"_

-Chemistry Class-

"Well you kids will sure enough be excited" Mr. Kemiko laughed "I'll be assigning you into groups of two to work on your newest project" He smiled, pausing for an awkwardly long amount of time.

A student in the back of the class timidly raised his hand "Well...What's our project?"

The teacher let out a big laugh "Oh silly me, the project is to design a poster all about Stoichiometry. Now where was my list of groups...?" he mumbled while opening various drawers in his desk "Aha! We have Jeri and Takato, Rika and Ryo..." he read, continuing down the list

Zoe tapped her fingers on the desk anxiously, desperate to know who she'll be stuck with this time. The two girls next to her already had their partners. From the corner of her eye she saw Jeri blushing and Rika gritting her teeth.

"...Zoe and Kouichi..." Mr. Kemiko annouced, followed by other pairings

Kouichi smiled at Zoe from the other side of the room. It was great they were paired together, they were already great friends so working together wouldn't be a problem.

After finally listing all the pairings for their project, Mr. Kemiko had teams sit together. "I'll let you guys work the rest of the period, but that's it! This is due in a week and I expect you arrange time after school to meet up with your partner"

Ryo casually put his arm around Rika "Looks like we're a team. But since it's just the two of us, it looks like we're a _couple_" he winked. Rika groaned and hit her head against the desk. Repeatedly.

Kouichi pulled out a piece of scratch paper "So you can come over to my house this weekend to work on the project...and right now we can play hangman!"

Zoe laughed "Sounds like a plan"

~.~.~

Takuya chucked a wadded up piece of paper at the back of Kouji's head. Bandanna boy turned, throwing an ungrateful look toward the brunette's way and picked up the paper.

He unfolded it, finding a note:  
><em>Can I come over this weekend?<em>

Kouji scribbled a reply and when the teacher wasn't looking, crumpled the paper and shot it right at Takuya's eye as payback. Sure they were friends, but it was one complicated friendship.

"Stupid Kouji..." Takuya muttered, and read the note

_Nope. Kouichi has Zoe coming over. They have chemistry._

Takuya became wide eyed at the last sentence, taking those words the wrong way.

Without realizing, he let out loud gasp while the classroom was dead silent. "Is there a problem mister kanbara?" The teacher asked in an annoyed tone.

"N-No sir" Takuya stuttered. He looked down and tore up the note. When class was over, he practically tackled Kouji out in the hallway.

"Please tell me that last note was a lie" the brunette begged, knocking Kouji to the side of a locker.

Kouji furrowed his eyebrows and dusted himself off "What's the big deal? Kouichi and Zoe are just working on-"

"What? They're relationship? Their _chemistry_!" Takuya interrupted. Jealously filled his eyes as he curled his hand into a fist "I'm gonna kill that Kouichi..." Kouji snickered at his friend's reaction "Yeah. Their chemistry, as in, their chemistry project." he replied

The words sunk into Takuya and he sighed with relief. His eyes lit up and realized the perfect opportunity he had to see Zoe. With desperation taking over him, he grabbed the collar of Kouji's shirt and whined "You have to let me come over!"

Kouji rolled his eyes "No way. The weekend is my time to spend _away _from you." To which Takuya gave him the puppy dog face "Kouji..." He begged

"Those puppy dog eyes don't work on me Takuya. And they're honestly freakish if you ask me" Kouji replied, shoving Takuya's face out of his way.

"Do you want me to sneak into your house, again?" The brunette threatened, a smile playing his lips. Kouji froze in his place, remembering what happened months ago.

_Flashback_

_The security alarm went of at Kouji's house, causing the entire neighborhood to stir. You could see lights flickering on from every home nearby. It was the middle of the night, you can just imagine how thrilled the neighbors must be. _

_Kouji, along with his family, made their way down to the garage where they heard the noise. Much to their dismay, they found Takuya trying to sneak in through the doggy door. _

_The boy was stuck and on the other side of the doggy door, a rottweiler was biting down on Takuya's poor rear end. "Oww! Stupid dog..." _

_Mr. Minamoto sighed and gritted his teeth "Nice to see you Takuya" _

_"Nice to see you too, sir" The boy grinned, well as much as someone can grin when being munched on by a dog _

_Seconds later the sound of police cars filled the street. Takuya looked around, alarmed "Whoa, where's the emergency?" he asked_

_Kouji sighed "When our security system goes off, it immediately contacts the police..." _

_Soon armed police men were rushing out of their cars towards the side of the garage. The alarm signaled the break in occurred there. One of the men shined a flashlight at the door, and was welcomed to the sight of a big dog chewing on the rear end of their culprit._

_From inside the garage, Takuya and Kouji's family could hear the howls of laughter coming from the other side of the door._

Kouji came back to reality and groaned in defeat "Fine, you can come." Takuya beamed with victory and added a little pep in his step. Nothing made that boy more happy than when he got to see Zoe.

"Just remember this" Kouji warned "You ever try to break into my house again, I'll make sure to sick Killer on you."

"I'm guessing Killer's your dog?" Takuya cringed.

"No, Death's my dog. Killer is Death's tempermental mother"

~.~.~

It was finally the weekend, and Zoe grabbed all the supplies needed for their poster and stuffed it in her backpack. Rushing out of the house, she hopped on her bike and rode off to Kouichi's house. She's been close friend's with Kouichi for a while, so she already knew where he lived.

Kouichi lived in a simple, two floor home with a large driveway. It gave Zoe ample space to park her bike. She got off and made her way to the door.

Takuya, who lived next to Kouichi and Kouji's home, was peeking through his curtains at Zoe. When he saw her ringing their doorbell, he set down his binoculars (he's one creepy kid...) and shut the curtains quickly. Making his way to his mirror, he began ruffling his hair.

"Should I fix my hair? Nah..." he said to himself, shaking his head "I shouldn't look like I'm trying to hard"

He grinned at the mirror, a slight flush developing on his cheeks. He was gonna have fun messing with Zoe today.

Looking at the clock, he decided to wait thirty minutes before heading off to Kouji's house. But his hormones got the best of him, and was out the door in five.

Takuya jogged over to the house next door and rang the door bell three times. It was his signature door bell ring that warned the Minamoto's of his arrival.

Kouji grudgingly opened the door and saw Takuya standing at his doorstep with an all-too-eager grin on his face. He could tell Takuya knew Zoe was already here. He saw the googglehead stalking her a few minutes ago. Takuya was never a 'sneaky' person, so his curtains were flickering around like crazy when he tried watching people.

"Hey buddy, thought I'd drop by randomly for no apparent reason whatsoever" Takuya smiled. Kouji rolled his eyes and motioned Takuya to come inside "Relax. Zoe and Kouichi are working on the balcony upstairs. She can't hear you"

"Oh phew" he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck "So, how about we go toss around a football _outside_?" he grinned

"I honestly don't think this is a good idea, considering you have zero experience throwing a football" Kouji shrugged "But if you're willing to look like an idiot. Fine by me"

"Please, how difficult can it be?" Takuya laughed. Kouji walked upstairs to get his football and Takuya went to to the backyard. As he walked onto the grass he looked up and saw Kouichi and Zoe writing on a poster board. Zoe didn't notice his presence yet, but it wasn't going to stay that way for long.

"Hey _Orimoto!_" he called out playfully, waving up at the girl

Zoe cringed at the sound of that familiar voice. But deep down she had to admit, her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes lit up for a split second, but were replaced with an annoyed look. She walked toward the side of the balcony and peered down. None other than Takuya was grinning up at her like an idiot. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and glared at him "What are you doing here?"

"I'm hanging out with Kouji today. But I guess I get to hang out with you too" he winked

Zoe turned to Kouichi "We really should have met up at my place" she sighed. Kouichi let out a small chuckle "You know you like seeing Takuya" he smirked.

"That is such a lie!" She snapped and turned back facing Takuya.

"Are you two talking about me?" he teased

"You wish" Zoe scoffed, folding her arms. She turned and went back to helping Kouichi. She really didn't want to deal with Takuya at the moment. "What else do you need, Kouichi?" she asked. Kouichi took care of the majority of the poster, he enjoyed projects like these and insisted to do most of the work. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing on Zoe's part.

"Can you run down to the basement and pick up the bottles of paint?" he asked politely "We can use it to decorate our poster"

Zoe nodded and headed downstairs, leaving Kouichi alone on the balcony. He decided to watch Takuya and Kouji for fun, and saw a thrown football go in direct contact with Takuya's face.

"You're lucky Zoe didn't see that!" Kouichi called down, laughing

Takuya looked up and didn't see Zoe anywhere in sight. "Perfect. I can practice before she gets back" he muttered to himself, smiling "Okay Kouji, get ready!"

He chucked the football in the air, watching it wobble as it flew. And for the record, flying wobbly footballs don't look quite impressive. Kouji caught it with ease, and scoffed at Takuya "Nice try."

"You think you're so talented at football, eh Kouji? Throw it over here. I'll show you!" Takuya yelled, getting in squatting-like stance

Zoe ran back upstairs with bottles of paint in her hands, as she came to the balcony she noticed Kouichi leaning over the balcony. She eyed him curiously "Kouichi what are you-"

A piercing scream echoed throughout the yard, interrupting her sentence. Alarmed, Zoe quickly leaned over the balcony to see. She couldn't help but let out a big laugh when she saw Takuya doubled over in a fetal position, hands between his legs, groaning in agony. Laying next to him was the football, and on the other side of the yard was a rather smug Kouji.

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:** I took much time contemplating what the name of Kouji's dog would be. It was either Killer, Reptar, or Beef Cake.

I was honestly leaning toward Beef Cake :D

By the way, sorry this chapter was leaning towards the short side. I've put off writing this chapter for 2 weeks, and I didn't want to delay it any further. Hopefully I'll get better at updating ^^'


	4. My Almost First Kiss

**A/N: **Holler~! I'm so proud I updated _somewhat_ on time :)

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 3<span>:**

_"My Almost First Kiss"_

"Note to self, never play football again" Takuya wailed to himself . He was lying on the living room couch with a pack of ice...you know where. Kouji made him rest there until the pain subsided. And it's been an hour since the incident, so it didn't hurt as bad.

He grabbed the remote from the glass table in front of him and turned on the television. To keep his mind off things, he decided to flip through channels.

"Boring...Boring...Super boring..." he sighed, a bored expression on his face. The brunette turned the t.v back off and looked up at the ceiling. The walls were a peaceful ocean blue color, reminding Takuya of water.

Thirst overcame him as he realized he hasn't had anything to drink in a while. He could go for a glass of ice cold water right about now. Sitting upright, he removed the ice pack and set it on the table. Takuya grabbed the edge of the couch to help steady himself as he got up, and made his way to the kitchen.

Takuya walked straight into the kitchen and was surprised to see Zoe near the sink, her back facing his. It was yet again another opportunity he had to annoy Zoe.

The boy knew annoying Zoe wouldn't win her over, but he had no idea how to get Zoe with that 'kanbara charm' his brother told him about. He was crazy about her, but had no clue how to show it. At least this way, whenever he annoyed Zoe, he knew that for at least one moment he passed through her mind. Whether the thought was good or bad.

He grinned and sneaking up behind Zoe, Takuya wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. He whispered into her ear "Hey Orimoto"

Zoe froze, her cheeks growing furiously pink within a matter of seconds. Takuya was hugging her, hugging _her._ She knew he was trying to annoy her, but her mind was going ballistic at the moment. She was too stubborn to admit she liked the gogglehead, but the sensation of him touching her made her think otherwise.

She realized he spoke to her, and tried her best to calm down her emotions. She would've loved to stay in that position forever, but knew he'd get suspicious if he saw she actually _enjoyed_ it. Faking an annoyed look on her face, she growled at him. "Takuya, let go of me" she said, forcing every word out of her mouth.

He held a little tighter, expecting her to attempt escaping "Nah, I'm comfy right here" he smiled. He saw Zoe was practically frozen in her place. And the way she was talking seemed off. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, loosening his grip.

She rolled her eyes and gave a light smile "Peachy. But it'll be a lot better when you let go of me" she glared, trying to pry Takuya's hands off of her.

"I don't know, it's fun hugging you" he laughed, squeezing Zoe tighter. She squirmed in his hug and tried shaking him off. The brunette tripped on something on the floor while Zoe was trying to get him off her, and dragged the both of them to the ground.

It all happened so quickly, Zoe's eyes fluttered open to see she was on the ground with Takuya on top of her. His hands were away from her waist, now trying to pull himself up and off of Zoe. But when he looked into her eyes he became so intoxicated by her gaze that he stayed in in that position.

The two kept staring at each other, unaware of what the other could be possibly thinking. Zoe bit her lip, thinking of what to say. She was about to speak when she noticed Takuya's head was slowly leaning closer to her.

Forgetting that she was supposed to 'hate' the brunette, she didn't stop him. She didn't want to stop him. And just as they were about to kiss, the unthinkable happened.

Kouichi walked into the kitchen, wondering where Zoe went. When he opened the door he was shocked to find his friend in make-out position with someone she supposedly despised. He yelped in surprise, causing him to drop all his papers for the poster.

His scream caused Takuya and Zoe to snap back to reality. The gogglehead rolled off of Zoe and the two sat up. Takuya looked at Zoe, and realized that almost-kiss brought them to a really awkward moment. He looked away from her and scratched his head.

Zoe regained composure and her attention went to Kouichi "Kouichi, what are you doing here?" she stammered

"I could ask you two the same question" Kouichi smirked, picking up his papers "But I'll leave you lovebirds be" He turned his heel, and walked out of the kitchen.

The blonde stood up, trying to avoid Takuya, and began walking away. The gogglehead didn't want to make things awkward between them, so he decided to make light of the situation.

"Hey Orimoto, wanna finish up that kiss?" Takuya grinned, catching her attention. She turned around and rolled her eyes "Yeah right, like I'd kiss you" she responded in disgust. Turning around, she left the room.

~.~.~

That night Zoe couldn't fall asleep. Even though it was the middle of the night and her room was pitch black, her eyes refused to stay shut. Her mind kept going back to when Takuya hugged her, and when they were about to kiss. In her mind, fireworks were exploding all over the place. It was difficult to explain what she was feeling, but whenever she thought about what happened she'd get get shivers all over her body.

The blonde couldn't help but think about the kiss that was about to happen. When she looked in Takuya's eyes, she saw something warm and comforting in them. Completely contradictory to how he acts around her. Those eyes seem to show a lot more about Takuya than she thought she knew. Finally, a boy who's sole mission wasn't to get into a girl's pants. In those eyes, she saw a boy that was real. Someone who was loyal and caring.

She smiled as she hugged her pillow tight, secretly imagining it was Takuya. She liked him. And whenever she thought about him, there wasn't that pang of annoyance that used to linger there anymore.

~.~.~

_riiiiinnnnnng_

_riiiiinnnnnnggg..._

Takuya rolled out of bed and dragged himself halfway across the room to his desk. It was Sunday afternoon and the brunette just woke up. He was still on the ground, and clumsily rummaged through his desk with his hand outstretched until he found his ringing phone.

"H-Hello?" he answered groggily

Kouji was on the other end "You awake? Takuya, it's 2pm!" on the other end Kouji could hear Takuya groaning. The brunette was never a morning person. Or an afternoon person for that matter. "Whatever, just listen. There's a stoplight party going on for the freshman class this Friday. It's at the gym at 7pm. Just wanted to tell you now since I know you never pay attention to the announcements"

"How'd you know about it already?"

"I know a guy who's on student council. They helped make that party happen" Kouji shrugged.

Takuya sighed. He was thankful to have a best friend like Kouji to remind him about those things. If he never told him, Takuya would probably find out about the party the Monday after. "Thanks a bunch Kouji"

"No problem. Hey, you owe me-"

_Click. _

"Oops, sorry Kouji" Takuya grinned, hanging up the phone right on time "Didn't hear that last part. Guess I don't owe you anything" he laughed.

~.~.~

During history, Zoe couldn't take her mind off of Takuya. He was sitting right next to her for goodness sake! She looked out the window, only the reflection of the class in it. And that reflection had a certain brunette in there. She shook her head and looked straight up at the teacher.

She had a hard time absorbing any of the words the teacher said. Thoughts of Takuya kept pouring back into her mind. She sighed and decided to try something new. Instead, she'll try her best to become his friend. Get closer to him instead of pushing him away like she has this entire time. And then she'll see what will happen from there.

Apparently, the teacher gave them free time to work on some history homework. Takuya turned to her and smirked "So Orimoto, wanna work together on the homework?" he asked. He knew more than anything, it bugged her to work with him.

Zoe gave him a small smile and nodded "Sure, I'll get my textbook" While she rummaged through her backpack, confusion swept through Takuya.

This was Zoe Orimoto. The girl that hated, and I mean _hated _having anything to do with him. And now, she was cooperating?

Takuya looked at Zoe suspiciously. She had to have something planned. Maybe she was planning to give him all the wrong answers and watch him fail? Was she being kind out of the goodness of her heart? Takuya scoffed at the second idea. Zoe's a nice girl, but not to him. Nope.

Zoe noticed Takuya's stare and tilted her head in confusion "What is it?" she asked innocently

"What are you up to?" Takuya accused, eyeing her

She let out a small giggle "What am I up to? I thought we were working on the history homework"

The brunette furrowed his eyebrows "What's with you? You hate me. Remember?" he asked, waving his hand in front of her face. Zoe dismissed it and looked at him "I never said I hated you"

Takuya couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was positive Zoe hated him. What was she up to?

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:** So Zoe's trying to become friend's with Takuya. Too bad the poor boy is having a hard time buying it. ^^'

Will Takuya accept Zoe as a friend? Will the two have an opportunity to kiss again? Will I ever write a decently-lengthed chapter?

Hopefully you'll see xD


	5. Birthdays, Brunettes, and Burberry

**Chapter 5**

_"Birthdays, Brunettes, and Burberry...Oh my"_

A curious Jeri flopped onto Zoe's bed and stared at the strawberry pink painted ceiling "So how are you and Romeo?"

"Romeo?"

"Takuya."

"..."

"OUT WITH IT!" Jeri sat up and threw a pillow at Zoe's face "A few days ago you two seemed to be awkwardly fine. What happened?"

The blonde put the pillow on her lap and spat out some stray feathers "Well..."

_Flashback_

_Everyone knew about the tension between Zoe and Takuya. The gossip spread like wildfire among the freshman. Girls shook their heads in shame at how oblivious Zoe was to Takuya's true feelings. Boys would tease Takuya to ask her out already. Of course, the fact that they had this weird relationship made things complicated._

_And the fact that it got even weirder when Zoe pretended to be okay with Takuya, confused the heck out of people._

_After about a week of dealing with "normal" Zoe, Takuya didn't like it. It was awkward acting like everything was so nuetral between them. He missed messing with her and seeing her glare at him. It made everything so much more interesting. _

_So the next morning in history, Takuya did what he did best. _

_"Hey Orimoto, looking lovely this fine day" he cooed, scooting his seat uncomfortably close to her._

_She tiled her head to the side "Uhm, thanks?"_

_"And you know what?" Takuya asked, feigning a lovestruck look on his eyes "Your eyes are the prettiest thing in the world"_

_Zoe twitched a little "Gee. Thanks."_

_He noticed her agitation and applauded his amazing skills. Now to seal the deal. He put his arm around and purred loudly "I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE MY GIRLFRIEND"_

_ Zoe's face grew red. No, she wasn't blushing. More like seething. From the corner of his eye, Takuya noticed every kid in the classroom's eyes darted their way. _

_Looks like a new rumor just brewed. _

Jeri stared in awe at Zoe. "Dang."

The blonde shook her head and groaned. "I know right. Now everyone's gonna tease me about dating Takuya!"

"Oh no, Zoe's has people gossiping about her dating one of the most popular guys at Shibuya High!" Jeri cried sarcastically. "You. poor. thing"

Zoe began slapping her face against the pillow "I." **-_smack-_ **"hate." **-_smack-_** "him."

"Awww" Jeri sighed, patting Zoe's back "It could be worse"

"Like what?" Zoe muffled through the pillow

"I don't know. I was hoping you wouldn't ask."

* * *

><p>A trickle of sweat slid down Zoe's face as she ran outside on the school track during Gym. She tried focused on the rhythm of her breathing when Rika came up from the side and practically side tackled the poor girl. "Wha-Rika! What was that for?"<p>

The redhead smirked and matched her pace with Zoe "I'm trying out a new way to greet people. Instead of saying 'hey', I'll just tackle them"

Zoe stuck her tounge out at her "Well I bet Ryo would love that"

"Oh that's cute. You think I'd actually risk making physical contact with that walking bag of raging hormones." she countered. "Anywho, I'm inviting you to my little birthday party. It's not really a party. More like you, Jeri, Takato, Rika, J.P, and Kouichi eating at Burgertastic. And maybe a movie."

Zoe grinned "Sounds good! When and where?"

"This Saturday we'll meet up outside the mall near Burgertastic at four ish" Rika nodded "By the way, do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Do not tell Ryo about this." she glared

As if on cue, Ryo sped right by them. "Don't worry wildcat, I'll be there!"

Zoe eyes widened and slowed down her pace. "Since when was Ryo in our Gym class?"

Rika slapped her forehead "What a creep."

* * *

><p>The week sped right by and Zoe couldn't wait for Saturday. She never really got out much during the weekends, so she cherished even a small get together like this.<p>

When Saturday came by the weather was perfect, sunny skies and hot temperatures. Zoe threw on a tight purple tank and white short shorts, it was either that or melt in the heat. Truth be told, Zoe was a one heck of a sweater. She left her hair down and strolled out the door with some worn in sneakers.

She got to the mall an hour before they were supposed to meet up, so she could just walk around the mall in peace. She found that ironic. Considering the huge crowds of people that swarm the mall during the weekends. But she still had fun window shopping thanks to her empty wallet.

"I swear, whenever I have no money it's like everything's ten times more appealing" she groaned, passing a Burberry store. She took a quick glance and had to do a double take when she recognized her bulky pal, J.P, fighting over a purse with some old lady.

Customers were surrounding them, ogling the scene. Zoe rushed inside and was gaping at not only J.P's persistence with the bag, but the lady's iron-like grip.

No one made a move to stop the brawl, not even security. It got to the point where she was hitting poor J.P with her cane.

"Alright, quit it you two!" Zoe yelled, breaking them apart "J.P, just give the bag to her. You can find another one"

"But Z..." he whined.

The blonde gave him a dangerously menacing glare "J.P, I'm going to count to three. If you don't let go of that bag-"

"BUT Z-"

"one"

"Zoe-"

"TWO"

J.P let go instantly and crossed his arms like a little kid. Zoe chuckled at how someone so strongly built could be so soft on the inside. The two of them left the store, J.P buying a keychain instead.

"Why were you there in the first place, J.P?" Zoe asked, gazing at the other stores they passed.

J.P sunk his shoulders "I forgot it was Rika's birthday"

"J.P!"

He put his arms up in defeat. "What? I thought Rika just wanted to buy us all dinner and a movie."

"J.P. This is _Rika Nonaka_ we're talking about."

* * *

><p>The two made their way to Burgertastic, after taking a frantic dash around the mall. J.P was searching every store to find a card to give Rika. And poor Zoe was in tow, apologizing to random strangers that were knocked over in J.P's wake. They arrived at Burgertastic thirty minutes late.<p>

Rika was angrily tapping her foot. "Where have you guys been!" she snarled.

J.P laughed uneasily and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and keychain from his pocket. "Happy birthday...?" he greeted/asked, handing the two objects to the redhead.

Zoe tensed "Now Rika, before you do anything-"

"_I am going to kill you, Shibiyama!"_

"NOT THE FACE, NOT THE FACE!" he shrieked.

Kouichi gladly pulled out his camera"This'll make some fun memories" he chuckled.

* * *

><p>The group got settled in Burgertastic in one of those huge booths that wraps around the table to fit more guests. Everyone managed to fit. From left to right it was J.P, Kouichi, Jeri, Zoe, Takato, and Rika. Ryo actually came to the diner, causing one heck of a scene from Rika. The manager had to restrain Rika, and Ryo squeezed himself between Kouichi and Jeri. After a couple minutes Rika obliged since Ryo was too encapsulated with J.P's black eye to bother the girl.<p>

The redhead turned to Takato "So gogglehead, where's my present?" she demanded.

Takato gulped and fidgeted with his napkin. "Well...It's actually a long story..."

Rika leaned back into the cushion of the booth "I should've guessed. Lover boy was too busy thinking about Jeri to even remember" she retorted.

The gogglehead reached over and waved his hands frantically around Rika "Shush Rika!"

Zoe, watching Rika and Takato's conversation in amusement, turned to Jeri and noticed she too had her attention towards J.P and his various bruises thanks to Rika and that lady. She turned back to Rika and Takato and interrupted "Don't worry, _you-know-who_ didn't hear"

Takato wiped his forehead with the back of his hand in relief "Phew, I would die if she heard that" he whispered in a low tone.

The trays of food came, and Rika was too absorbed in her burger to continue the conversation. But Zoe wasn't finished with Takato, she took a sip of soda and leaned near Takato, whispering tips to win over Jeri.

Across the room Takuya was sitting in a similar booth with his pals, mouth agape at the sight of Zoe so close to another guy.

The brunette hid behind the menu and elbowed a guy next to him. "Dude, who's that guy with Zoe?" he asked, nudging his head their direction.

"Him? That's Takato Matsuki."

* * *

><p><strong>AN****: **Hey guys, long time no see!

_Hey I just met you  
><em>_and this is crazy  
><em>_but here's my fanfic  
><em>_so review it maybe._


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